The list below is taken from this website. I'm not sure I agree with the list in its entirety, but do agree with the number one spot. Obviously it is a person's opinion and therefore objective, but I would say that it is fairly comprehensive. There seem to be a few shows that appear a little out of place, for example I feel Friends should be a few places higher considering its world wide appeal and I for one feel Will & Grace should be much, much higher. Anyway here is the list, with the numbers actually in the wrong order. For example 'My Favourite Martian' is 100, 'Becker' 99 and so on.
- My Favorite Martian (1963-1966)
- Becker (1998-2004)
- Will and Grace (1998-2006)
- Soap (1977-1981) A parody of daytime soap operas.
- Good Times (1974-1979) A spin-off of "Maude," which was a spin-off of "All in the Family."
- Get Smart (1965-1970) Created by Mel Brooks. Need I say more? Who is Mel Brooks? You ignorant fool. Mel Brooks is the writer/director of such classics as The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, History of the World, Part I, Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
- Laverne & Shirley (1976-1983)
- Maude (1972-1978)
- Petticoat Junction (1963-1970)
- Make Room For Danny / "The Danny Thomas Show" (1953-1964)
- The Lucy Show (1962-1968)
- Family Guy (1999-2001 2004-Present) In my opinion the show hasn't been funny since it returned in 2004)
- Silver Spoons (1982-1986)
- Punky Brewster (1984-1986) NBC's programming chief named the series after a girl he had a crush on in his own childhood.
- Two and a Half Men (2003-Present)
- Bosom Buddies (1980-1982) Stars Tom Hanks in drag.
- Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996-2003) Based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.
- Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992-1997)
- Dinosaurs (1991-1994)
- Green Acres (1965-1971)
- Mister Ed (1961-1966)
- The Addams Family (1964-1966)
- My Three Sons (1960-1972) 380 episodes were produced, making it one of the longest running sitcoms.
- Boy Meets World (1993-2000) The lead actor Ben Savage is Fred Savage's little brother (The Wonder Years).
- The Munsters (1964-1966)
- The Partridge Family (1970-1974)
- WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982)
- What's Happening!! (1976-1979/1985-1988)
- Who's the Boss? (1984-1992) Leah Remini actually starred in a short lived spin-off of "Who's the Boss?" called "Living Dolls." Leah Remini is probably best known for Carrie Heffernan in "King of Queens."
- Saved By The Bell (1990-1993) The best of the franchise.
- 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001)
- The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (1952-1966)
- The Big Bang Theory (2007-Present)
- The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966)
- The Nanny (1993-1999)
- Perfect Strangers (1986-1992) "Don't be ridiculous."
- The Honeymooners (1955-1956) "One of these days ... one of these days ... Pow! Right in the kisser!"
- The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964-1969)
- Family Matters (1989-1998) Did you know this was as spin-off from "Perfect Stranger?" Well it is.
- Mad About You (1992-1999) There are some funny crossovers with "Friends" and "Seinfeld" you can read about here.
- Coach (1989-1997)
- Community (2009-Present)
- Mama's Family (1983-1985,1986-1990)
- Wings (1990-1997)
- Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)
- The Odd Couple (1970-1975)
- ALF (1986-1990) Similar premise to "My Favorite Martian." ALF is an alien life form that somehow knows English and grasps sarcasm.
- The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
- Newhart (1982-1990)
- Night Court (1984-1992)
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996) Previous to the show, Will Smith was a rapper and was bankrupt, owing the IRS a lot of money.
- The Flintstones (1960-1966) The Flintstones is actually based on the sitcom The Honeymooners.
- Growing Pains (1985-1992) In Latin America the show was called ¡Ay! Cómo duele crecer (Ouch! How painful is growing up), and in France it was called Quoi de neuf docteur? (What is new doctor?).
- Mork and Mindy (1978-1982)
- The King of Queens (1998-2007) Jerry Stiller made this show great (who by the way is Ben Stiller's dad).
- Charles in Charge (1984-1985/1987-1990)
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971)
- Futurama (1999-2003/2008-Present) From the creators of The Simpsons. Bender is one of the funniest characters in a long time. I'm so glad it is back.
- The Love Boat (1977-1986)
- Sanford and Son (1972-1977)
- Married With... Children (1987-1997) Al Bundy, classic. Not to be confused with Ted Bundy, not classic.
- The Office (2005-Present)
- Gilligan's Island (1964-1967)
- Modern Family (2009-Present)
- Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978)
- Malcolm In the Middle (2000-2006)
- That 70's Show (1998-2006)
- South Park (1997-Present)
- Home Improvement (1991-1999) Did you know Tim Allen had been arrested a long time ago on drug offenses? Interesting.
- I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970)
- Murphy Brown (1988-1998)
- News Radio (1995-1999) I can't believe anyone would kill Phil Hartman.
- Beavis and Butthead (1993-1997) New episodes coming in summer 2011.
- Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986)
- Bewitched (1964-1972)
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-Present) Based on a fictionalized version of Larry David, the co-creator of Seinfeld. Think of a condensed version of George Costanza.
- Leave It To Beaver (1957-1963)
- Roseanne (1988-1998) Honestly, I hate that fat broad (broad in both senses), but it was the top sitcom of the decade, so here it is.
- Full House (1987-1995)
- Mary Tyler Moore (1970-1977)
- Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)
- The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C was a spin-off of this show.
- Three's Company (1977-1984)
- The King of the Hill (1996-2010)
- Happy Days (1974-1984) Happy Days, itself considered a spin-off from "Love, American Style," spun off five different series: Laverne & Shirley, Blansky's Beauties, Mork & Mindy, Out of the Blue, and Joanie Loves Chachi. It also spun-off two animated series.
- The Brady Bunch (1969-1974)
- Arrested Development (2003-2006)
- Taxi (1978-1982)
- Frasier (1993-2004)
- Friends (1994-2004)
- The Facts of Life (1979-1988)
- The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
- Cheers (1982-1993) Of course the show "Fraiser" was a spin off of "Cheers."
- M*A*S*H (1972-1983) Sitcom? Maybe not, but there was a laugh track.
- All In The Family (1971-1979) Hilariously racist.
- Family Ties (1982-1989) Michael J. Fox as a hardcore Republican with hippie parents? Yes please.
- The Simpsons (1989-Present) #3? Doh!
- I Love Lucy (1951 - 1957) #2? Lucy! You got some spanin' to do!
- Sienfeld (1990-1997) Seinfeld is master of it's domain, with Jerry's Jewish mullet and all
Another article from this website deals with a slightly different subject matter. The list below compiles the '10 Best Sitcoms on TV Now', dated the 29 April, 2010. Again there are some points I agree with and others that I don't. It is a lot more current and therefore much more appropriate for the brief I think I will undertake. Please read on for more.
10. Bored to Death (HBO)
Writer Jonathan Ames’ new series features Jason Schwartzman as a writer named Jonathan Ames who decides to advertise his private investigative services on Craigslist. Our favorite comedian Zach Galifianakis plays Ames’ best friend, Ted Danson quickly makes us forget he was ever in Becker, and the guest stars have included Kristen Wiig, Jim Jarmusch and Patton Oswalt. But its Schwartzman’s absurd mix of self-obsession and sincerity that makes the show so fun to watch. Schwartzman told Paste last fall that he loves that the real Ames is “not ever winking at the camera, making fun of the genre of mystery. He has no ability as a human being to detect irony. He doesn’t write his books from a place of mean or sarcastic humor. What I love is that his characters are always trying to do the right thing. They just keep fucking it up and end up hurting people, but it’s never intended.” — Josh Jackson
9. Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Edie Falco plays Showtime’s latest morally ambiguous protagonist, a cranky ER nurse who’s snorting painkillers and having sex with the hospital pharmacist (how convenient) while the World’s Best Husband waits for her to come home to him and their two girls. Jackie Peyton is a maddening, two-faced character, kind and empathetic with her patients and stoically hurtful to the people closest to her. Her moral code is erratic, but intriguing—she flushes a patient’s ear down the toilet because he stabbed a woman, and then promptly returns to her day-to-day routine of getting high and committing adultery. The supporting cast brings out the worst in her and the best moments in the show: Eager nursing student Zoey worships the ground Jackie walks on; narcissistic doctor Fitch Cooper has an inexplicable crush on her, and fashionista doctor friend Eleanor O’Hara knows about all her transgressions and refuses to judge her, creating a twisted friendship and an unusual dynamic for two female characters. — Kate Kiefer
8. Parks & Recreation (NBC)
Maybe I’m just tired of sitcoms set in New York City. But I’m ready to say it: I like this season’s Parks & Recreation better than 30 Rock. Love me some Tina Fey but Parks wins out overall due to the sympathetic and charming cast of characters. The only Parks character that approaches the overweening narcissism of the average 30 Rock character is Aziz Ansari’s well-intentioned Tom Haverford. The half-hour each week I devote to Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope, Nick Offerman’s uproarious Ron Swanson and the rest of the city officials in Pawnee, Ind., is tops for pure relaxation and sitcom bliss. — Nick Purdy
7. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
A replacement for anyone who misses Friends, CBS’ only great sitcom has given us Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), one of the most egocentric, hilarious TV characters this decade. Once you get past the laugh track, the show is truly, as Barney would say, “legend—wait for it—ary.” — Kate Kiefer
6. The Office (NBC)
NBC’s remake of Ricky Gervais’ masterpiece has certainly seen better days. It’s been a while (since Michael Scott’s last dinner party, to be precise) since the show really made us squirm with delicious discomfort in a way that only Scott’s lack of self-awareness ever could. Still, the characters we got to know back in 2005 were so wonderfully crafted that they show little wear and tear after six seasons, even when the show’s central romantic tension is long gone. Long live Dunder-Mifflin. — Josh Jackson
5. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Blatant nihilism and self-absorption makes for pretty funny television—shows like Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm are proof-positive of this new maxim. But onscreen celebrations of this emotional insularity are usually somewhat self-aware. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia takes this über-ironic humor to it’s logical conclusion: amoral sociopaths who think they’re lovable sitcom archetypes (whence “The Gang”). Your jaw will drop and you’ll squirm in your seat when you hear Frank dismiss his daughter Dee’s pregnancy with a deadpan “Do yourself a favor and flush it out.” And then, despite yourself, you’ll laugh until your sides hurt. — Michael Saba
4. Party Down (Starz)
Underneath the white button-downs and ridiculous pink bow-ties, the employees of L.A.‘s Party Down catering company are writers, actors, comedians and aspiring restaurant franchise owners—but it hardly matters to the folks they’re pushing appletinis and crudites for. What could easily be a bleak, recession-era tale of thwarted egos—or worse, just another exercise in “awkward!”—skirts both entirely; it surely doesn’t hurt that the cast draws from the Christopher Guest and Judd Apatow universes, or that Paul Rudd is one of the dudes at the helm. Care for a cheese cube with that quiet desperation? — Rachael Maddux
3. Community (NBC)
Community is a show suffused with pop culture. Almost every episode’s plot has been done by a sit-com or movie previously, but Community revels in its referentiality. Nearly everyone watching Community has spent countless hours watching other TV sitcoms and trashy Hollywood movies. The characters of Community have done the same, and aside from Abed’s encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, they respond to clichéd show tropes in the same way you do. They know that Jeff is the cool guy, that Britta has been set up as a romantic interest regardless of the lack of chemistry between the two characters. They know that Pierce is comic relief and that they’re the center of the universe because they’re TV characters. They’ve managed to take the oldest jokes in the book and make them completely new. — Sean Gandert
2. 30 Rock (NBC)
The spiritual successor to Arrested Development, 30 Rock succeeded where its competition failed thanks to star/creator Tina Fey. 30 Rock never loses track of its focus and creates a surprisingly deep character for the its circus to spin around. But Fey’s not the only one that makes the series. Consistently spot-on performances by Tracy Morgan—whether frequenting strip clubs or a werewolf bar mitzvah—and Alec Baldwin’s evil plans for microwave-television programming create a perfect level of chaos for the show’s writers to unravel every week. It may be a little off its game, this season, but an average episode of 30 Rock is still better than a good episode of almost any other sitcom. — Sean Gandert
1. Modern Family (ABC)
The funniest debut season of a sitcom in a long while belongs to Modern Family on ABC. The story of three inter-related families works because its characters seem familiar to life but fresh to the screen. Not that the show is above archetypes: There’s the rebellious teen seduced by popularity, the beautiful Colombian second wife, the trying-too-hard-to-be-cool dad, the patriarch who doesn’t like to show affection, the flamboyantly gay boyfriend. But it’s not taken long for TV veterans Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan to let each character’s uniqueness flourish through the myriad relationships within the family.
We’ve seen Jay Pritchart (Married With Children‘s Ed O’Neill) struggle to relate with his new stepson Manny and his son-in-law Phil, but surprisingly connect with Cameron—his gay son’s boyfriend—over football. We’ve seen 10-year-old Manny give parenting advice to Jay’s daughter Claire and fight with Claire’s slow-witted, hyper son Luke (technically, his nephew). And then the cameo from Jay’s first wife, played by Shelley Long, took the craziness to a whole new level (as Cameron says, “There’s a fish in nature that swims around with its babies in its mouth. That fish would look at Mitchell’s relationship with his mother and say, ’That’s messed up.’”)
There’s dysfunction here, and while a meanness sometimes creeps in, there’s also as much love for these characters as there is laughter at their expense. Mitchell’s tendencies to get uptight are mellowed by Cameron’s constant joviality. Jay’s crotchetiness is mitigated by his wife Gloria’s vivaciousness. Even Phil, the show’s version of The Office’s Michael Scott—with no self-awareness and a self-sabotaging quest to seem hip—is protected from his own antics by a loving wife.
It’s these relationships that make even a completely messed-up family a valuable thing. No matter how bad things get in this Modern Family, it always beats the alternative of not having each other. They’re flawed individuals, offering only broken bits of love to one another, but that’s more than enough to cling to. As Dylan, the boyfriend of Claire’s oldest daughter so sweetly an wisely said—before breaking into a song about Haley with the lyrics, “I just want to do you, do you” in front of the family—“You’re reaching out, trying to hold on to something awesome… Haley’s got the kind of confidence that you get from having a family like this that’s passionate and accepting of hot foreigners and gay dudes and nutty people—you know, family that actually loves each other.”
And a funny one at that. — Josh Jackson
From the article above it is clear to see that NBC seems to have the best comedy line up. Maybe I could go somewhere with this. After all I watch every one of the programmes above so I feel well informed enough to undertake something of this nature.
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